Car-fender



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. R. HOWE.

GAR FENDER.

No. 568,906. v Patented Oct. 6, 1896.

Fig 1.

METROPOLITAN 13 ATTORNEYS SSheets-Sheet 2. W. R. HOWE. GAR FENDER (NoModel.)

tented Oct. 6, 1896.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 W. R. HOWE.

GAR FENDER.

No. 568,906. Patented Oct. 6, 1896.

{Q N \N v 6 36 v INVENTQR WITN E5553 x 6 12; m

ATTOIiNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\YILLIAM R. HOW'E, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,906, dated October6, 1896.

Application filed November 29,1896. Serial No. 570,492. (No model.)

To (oZZ whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM R. HOWE, of Dayton, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Safety Attachments for Street-Oars, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to safety attachments for street-cars to be appliedto the front of the car to prevent injury in the event of the carstriking any one while in motion; and it consists of a certain novelconstruction and arrangement of car-fender and wheelguard, to behereinafter more particularly pointed out and claimed, whereby thecar-fender will be automatically thrown out at the moment of striking anobject by a releasing device positively actuated by the blow of the car.

The invention further consists of a wheelguard to cooperate with thecar-fender should for any reason the fender fail to pick up the personstruck, which wheel-guard can at a moments notice be changed into asnow-plow whenever by reason of an unusual fall of snow the car-fendercannot be operated.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of part of a street-car,showing the attachments in place. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of thewheel-guard in one adjustment. Fig. 3 is a similar view of samein theother adjustment thereof. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail views ofthe eyes and nuts for fastening and attaching the wheel-guard. Fig. 10is a View of the brace-rod for the wheel-guard when adapted for use as asnow-plow. Fig. 11 is a bottom plan View of the car-fender. Fig. 12 is alongitudinal section in detail of one of the inner corners of thecar-fender frame. Fig. 13 is a detail View showing one of the carfenderrollers. Fig. 14 is an inside elevation of the car-fender attached tothe body of the car. Fig. 15 is a side view of the wheelguard. Fig. 16is a front View of same. Fig. 17 is a top plan view of the dog forholding back the fender when not in use. Fig. 18 is an end view of oneof the guides for the fender-frame. Fig. 19 is a longitudinal section ofsame.

A is the body of the street-car, to the under surface of which at eachside are bolted the guide-frames B B. These guide-frames carry at theirinner ends the antifriction guide-rollers a a. The car-fender is a frameof the usual shape, preferably made of tubing 0, to be light and strong,the forward part of V the frame being covered with wire-netting D.

The frame 0 extends back on each side underneath the car through theguide-frames B B and resting on the rollers a and is joined together atthe back by the cross-piece E.

The frame also carries antifriction-rollers b,

end f, although, of course, a spring can beused instead of a weight. Thetooth of this dog carries a roller g, behind which the crosspiece E ofthe car-fender is caught when at rest. Mounted on the rods h h, whichpass out through the frame 0, -is the bar H, preferably made of tubingand, if desired, covered with rubber or some elastic covering. The rodsh hunite'at the back to form a plunger 1', guided in the sleeve M,which, when the car-fender is at rest, normally is about in contact withthe outer end of the dog G. The bar H is normally held a short distancefrom the outer edge of the fender by the coiled springs k k, theadjustable collars Z, Z, and m on the rods fixing the distance inadvance of the fender.

Then the car-fender is pushed back so as to be caught by the dog G, itextends out in front of the cara short distance, say eighteen inches,the amount of extension being asmay be desired. The instant a person orobject is struck by the bar H, however, the bar is pushed back and, theend of the plunger 7; striking the dog G, the frame 0 is released andthe same is thrown forward by the action of the coiled springs L L,attached to the cross-piece E and the car-frame.

At the front of the fender, underneath, is attached a roller N, so thatthe front of the fender can be adjusted close to the surface of thestreet, and as the fender is thrown out the roller will often glidealong the surface of sheets of sheet metal P and R, curved as shown inFigs. 2, 3, and 15. These sheets overlap and are held together by bolts7?. n. The wheel-guard is secured to the front crosspiece p of thecar-truck by eyebolts 8, through which the rods it on the wheel-guardpass, while a coiled spring a bears against the back of the guard.

Often in heavy snow-storms it will be impossible to use the car-fender,and the carfender can be removed by taking out the screw e (shown inFig. 12) at each end of the frame and thus separating the frame 0 fromthe cross-bar E and unhooking the coiled springs L L. WVhen thecar-fenderis removed, the wheel-guard may be quickly adjusted to servealso as a snow-plow. The bolts at-nn are loosened, the eyebolts s arelowered so that they will turn, and the two sheets R and P are swungoutward into the position shown in Fig. 2. A nut such as is shown inFigs. 7, 8, and 9 is then used to clamptogetherthe lower outer edge ofthe twoplates. W'hen the two sheets are in the position to be used as asnow-plow, the upper connection for the two plates will be in advance ofits former position, and it is then secured by the bolt w at the centerof the cross-piece p of the car-truck. the guard, the brace-rod T isused, the same being hooked into the eye-nuts y, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcut, is

1. In a safety appliance for street-cars, the combination, with the car,of a movable fender, guide-frames therefor, springs to throw out saidfender, a dog pivoted on the car-body to swing vertically, rearcross-bar of said fender held by said dog, and trip-bar extending Inorder to brace the two parts of across the front of said fender, withrods for sustaining same, supported by and sliding on said fender-frame,the rear end of said rods being in position to contact directly withsaid dog to release the fender and allow it to be thrown outin advanceof the car, andaweight for returning said dog to its normal position,substantially as shown and described.

2. In a safety appliance for street-cars, the combination, with the car,of a sliding frame covered with wire-netting at its forward end,guide-frames at each side of the car carrying antifriction-rollers overwhich the sliding frame is propelled, with springs to throw forward saidframe, dog pivoted to the car to swing vertically and to hold back saidframe against the spring action, rear cross-bar of said fender held bysaid dog, trip-bar extending across the front of said frame, rods forsustaining same with guides on said frame in which said rod slides, saidrods uniting at the back to form a plunger and rear end of said plungercontactingdirect ly with said dog to release the frame and allowit to bethrown out in advance of the car, with weight to return said dog to itsnormal position, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a safety appliance for street-cars, a'

wheel-guard constructed of two pieces of sheet metal curvedsubstantially as described overlapping each other and fastened together,rods secured to the upper surface thereof, with eyebolts secured to thecar-truck upon which said rods are hung, substantially as shown anddescribed.

4:. In a safety appliance for street-cars, a wheel-guard,constructed oftwo pieces of sheet metal suitably curved overlapping each other andfastened together, rods secured to the upper surface thereof, witheyebolts secured to the car-truck upon which said rods are hung, saideyebolts arranged to turn to allow said sheet-metal pieces to be swungforward at the middle, with bolt for holding same in advance of saideyebolts, and bracerod to connect the upper and lower edges thereof,substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM R. HOWE. Witnesses:

W. S. MCCONNAUGHEY, ALFRED M. ALLEN.

